


An Unhappy Mother

by LittlePrincePotter



Series: Childhood's Gifts [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom
Genre: Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, comfort is in part 3, hurt with little comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:41:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlePrincePotter/pseuds/LittlePrincePotter
Summary: Talia is unhappy with Damian becoming more of a child. She decided to fix it.TW: This is much more graphic than part one. Tread with care.Another shout out to my beta reader peppersonironi! Check them out here and on Tumblr!
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Series: Childhood's Gifts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015302
Comments: 14
Kudos: 164





	1. Mother's Visit

Damian was excited to get home. 

Not only was Grayson coming to the manor today, but ever since Damian had taken up a hobby of collecting stuffed animals and acting more his age, he'd felt different. 

He'd felt like he was living for the first time. He was a real child for the very first time. 

Baba and all of his siblings had been extremely supportive and affectionate as of late as well. 

Today he was going to play with his toys and go out to a movie with Grayson after dinner. Nothing could stop him from being excited. Not even the dark storm cloud rolling closer in the distance. He tried not to bounce in his seat as Pennyworth drove him home from school. He failed. 

Pennyworth smiled at the excited little boy in the passenger seat. It was good to see him acting like a child. 

Damian burst through the manor doors and headed up to his room. He swung open the door, only to freeze at the threshold. Someone was in his room. Not just anyone. 

Mother. 

All the air left Damian's lungs as her green eyes fell on him. She was standing in his room. His room, that was piled high with shelves full of stuffed animals, something she would never approve of. She was the reason he had never had toys after all. He could have knives and swords, but never toys. She sneered at him and he had to will himself to keep breathing. 

"Damian," she said. Her voice scratched across his skin and settled heavily around his throat like a nuse. 

"Mother," he choked out, "I didn't know you were coming."

His mother turned away from him. She was examining one of his bookshelves filled with his precious stuffed toys. 

She picked up Daisy, the white circus elephant he'd gotten because it reminded him of Grayson. It was one of his favorites. She turned it over in her hand before looking back at him. 

"It is quite clear you weren't expecting me Damian," she replied, letting the toy unceremoniously drop to the ground, "or else you might have tried to hide how pathetic your father has made you in my absence." She put her arms out, gesturing to the room. "What is this Damian? Stuffed toys?" She walked over to the table he had in the corner. It displayed the tea set Thomas had given him to play with. She picked up the delicate porcelain pot with a robin painted on it. "Tea parties?" The teapot dropped to the ground. 

The crash of the teapot rang in his ears like the aftermath of an explosion. Shards of delicate porcelain lay on the ground. Mother was angry and he was going to pay for it. 

In the League of Assassins, things like stuffed toys weren’t allowed. Mother had sent him away to become better, to learn under his father. Instead, he had become more of a child, and he could see that she was in no way pleased. 

She approached him, and he resisted the step back. A manicured nail tucked under his chin. "You've become weak. Infantile. I'm disappointed in you." Her hand moved down slowly. Gently, she rested her palm over his heart. It made his heart flutter. She had done this sometimes when he was younger. He had always thought it was a comforting gesture. 

He was wrong. 

She took the fabric of his shirt in her fist and slammed him backward into the nearest wall. She had lifted him off his feet and moved closer so their faces were inches apart. 

"I am going to remind you what happens to weak people. I am going to fix you."

Her free hand came up and in his peripheral vision. It held a tranquilizer dart. Before he could even react the needle was sunk into his neck. The world tilted on its side, and promptly faded to black. 

….

Damian's eyes opened slowly. His head ached. Where was he?

He was laying on cold, hard concrete. The sound of water met his ears. The harbor. He was somewhere by the harbor. He moved his wrists and wasn't surprised to find them tightly bound. 

"You're awake."

Wait he knew that voice. His mother's boots came into view, and the previous events of the day came back to his mind. 

"Mother," he said weakly. His heart sprung in his throat. He was going to be punished. He hated being punished. 

He was rewarded with a swift kick to the ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. 

Heavy rain started falling onto the roof of whatever building he was in. 

His mother's fingers curled through his hair. For a split second, it felt the same as when Grayson would pet him when he was scared. But that moment ended as the fingers tightened. His head was ripped back and then slammed forward into the concrete. She repeated this action one, two, three, four, maybe five or six times. Damian started losing count after four. Damian's mouth filled with a familiar metallic taste as something hard came loose. Quietly, he opened his mouth and pushed it out with his tongue. 

It was his own tooth, cracked nearly in half. Yet something told him his tooth was the least of his worries. Mother's hand found his hair again and she yanked him up onto his knees. Blood dribbled from his mouth as she forced him to look up at her. 

She made a fist and pulled it back. He tried not to flinch.


	2. To Find a Baby Bird

"Alfie! I'm here!" Dick said as he walked in the front door of the manor. Alarm bells were already ringing in his head. Alfred hadn't come to pick him up at the train station, and no one was answering the manor's phone. 

"Alfie? Alfred?" He called as he took off his soaking wet jacket and hung it up by the door. He set his bag down by the jacket then went to search for Alfred. He made his way into the living room. Empty. Alright. Maybe the kitchen. 

He walked into the kitchen, only to feel his blood freeze in his veins. Alfred was there, collapsed on the floor. There was a dart sticking out of his neck. 

Dick rushed to him. He checked the man's pulse first. His heart was fine. His breathing seemed okay too. How long had he been like this? He was supposed to pick Dick up from then train station after brining Damian back from scho-

Damian. 

Dick's feet were flying up the stairs before he even registered where he was going. Damian's bedroom door was open. That wasn't good. 

Dick skid into the room, throwing himself into a fighting stance. Damian wasn't there, but his school bag was on the floor so had been at some point. The first thing Dick noticed was the porcelain on the ground next to the table where Damian kept his tea set. The teapot was missing, so he assumed that's what the mess on the floor was. 

Not good.

Next he noticed Damian's stuffed elephant on the ground. Damian never left his toys on the floor. They each had a specific place to go when he wasn't cuddling or playing with him. 

Worse.

Finally, he drew his attention to the open window. He moved toward it. The screen was gone and the lock was broken. 

Damian has been kidnapped.

That conclusion pierced through his gut and into his heart. Dick turned on his heel and rushed to Bruce's study. He ran to the clock and opened the entrance to the batcave faster than he ever had. Down on the bat computer was a bright red button covered by glass. 

Dick lifted the glass cover and slammed his palm down. His own phone went off, sounding like an emergency alarm. 

Letting out a shaky breath, he went upstairs to retrieve Alfred from the kitchen floor. He hoped the others wouldn't take too long to get here. 

****

Damian tried to focus on the metallic taste in his mouth or the ropes pulling at his wrist or even the sound of rain outside. He tried to focus on anything but the pain. 

Crack!

He cried out as the whip made contact with the skin of his back again. Warm liquid was seeping down his back, soaking the waistband of his pants. 

He pulled weakly at the ropes Mother had used to bind him to a support beam. It was no use. He squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for the whip to hit him again. When it didn't, he risked looking up at his mother. He immediately wished he hadn't. 

She was holding some type of electrical rod. She held the safe end with a rubber glove. 

His eyes traveled to her face. There was only one emotion there. It wasn't love. It was disappointment. 

A crack of thunder covered up his scream. 

***

Everyone stood in the cave, in costume. Tim and Bruce were trying to analyze the dart as fast as they could. Cassandra held Alfred's hand where he lay unconscious on the medbay. 

"Alright. We split up. Tim and I will take New Gotham," Dick said. "Jason, you and Cassandra will take Old Gotham. Duke you'll take Burnley, and Steph you take Somerset." He looked toward the computer. "Barbara, can you monitor the results of that dart when they come back?"

"Yes."

"Then Bruce is with Steph. Somerset is a big area. Everyone got it?"

They nodded.

"Alright. Let's find our baby brother."


	3. Comforting Memories

Damian lay on the ground panting. Mother had removed him from the support beam and tied him back up on the floor. 

He tried to take stock of his injuries, starting with the less serious ones. 

Okay. His left eye was blackened and swelling a bit. His lip was busted and he knew he was missing at least one tooth. None of that was too worrisome. Now for the burns. He looked down, biting back a whimper as moving his neck too much pulled at the injuries on his back. One, two, three, four, five, six. There were six circular electrical burns he could see on his torso, mainly centered around his chest. 

There was no way he could take stock of the injuries on his back. He could feel blood seeping out of him though. 

Still, nothing seemed life threatening at the moment. It was time to take stock of his environment. So far he had only seen Mother. She had always preferred to punish him personally, or let Grandfather do it, so that came as no surprise. 

He strained his good eye to look around. The building was mostly dark, but Mother had put lights up. It was in somewhat disarray and almost completely empty, so it was probably abandoned. There was a large garage door about forty feet in front of him, so this place was probably used to store shipments that came in from the harbor. 

Mother was sitting somewhere behind him and as far as he could tell there was no way out the way he was facing. At least, not in his condition anyway. Not that he was sure he would escape if he could anyway. 

Thunder kept rumbling overhead and he tried to force himself to stop tensing. Tensing up was hurting the injuries on his back. 

Damian closed his eyes. He pictured the last time there had been a thunderstorm. Todd had pulled Damian into his lap and rubbed his back. He wasn't allowed to tell anyone, but Todd had sang to him. He had sung him a Spanish lullaby, rocking him gently. He had lulled Damian to sleep like that. Damian's tired mind briefly wondered if he would get to hear that song again.

His mind wandered to the time before that. Everyone was out on patrol except him. He had homework so he was left at home. The thunder had been so loud that night. It had broken through his skin and to his bones. He had grabbed his elephant and stuffed bat. He curled up in the corner of his room where he kept his giant stuffed animals: a tiger and a panda. He had been on the verge of tears when there had been a knock on the door. Damian Baba had said. When he didn't receive an answer, he opened the door quietly, looking at the boy's bed first, then eyes searching the room. A cast was on his arm, which was the reason he had had to leave patrol. That night he let Damian sleep in bed with him. He had told him stories until he fell asleep. 

Cain had been different when she found him scared by a storm. She had taken him down to the batcave, turned on music, and danced with him. Honestly, the slow, flowing movements had been nice. They'd calmed him.

Pennyworth became quite coddling when Damian was afraid in private. He rarely coddled them so it had been odd. The old man had picked him up and put him on his hip. How he still had the strength for that Damian had no idea. He briefly wondered if he trained while they were away. He'd held Damian on his hip, bouncing him slightly, as he fixed him hot chocolate. The movement, the smell, and being held and calmed him. When Damian asked how he knew to do that, Pennyworth responded that this is what he had done for Damian's father. 

Thomas had used a flashlight to show him how to make shadow puppets when the storm had been bothering him. He had never made shadow puppets before that night. It was fun. Thomas made better shadow puppets, but that was because of his powers.

Brown had taught him to make various crafts using glitter. Her favorites were glitter bombs, and bath bombs containing glitter. 

Drake would hold him in his lap and read to him. He read classics mostly. The most recent one had been Pride and Prejudice.

Grayson was the most comforting, but Baba was a close second. Grayson would kiss his face, rock him, watch movies, make him food. Anything and everything until he was either a sleep or giggling until he wasn't scared anymore. 

Mother never comforted him like that. She had always been cold and calculating. But… she still loved him right? That's why she trained him and punished him so hard. 

He wondered if his family were looking for him. Would they find him soon? Should he even go with them if he did or should he sit through Mother's punishment? 

His thoughts were interrupted by mother hauling him off the ground again. She threw him into a metal chair, and scowled when he whimpered in pain. His hands were released, but only briefly so she could re-secure them to the arms of the chair. She put her hand on his forehead and pushed his head back. A damp cloth was laid over his face. 

He'd always hated this part.

****

Wind whipped around Dick as he and Tim ran across the rooftops. It was only about five in the afternoon, but the storm had made the sky just as dark as if it were night time. Part of him worried if Damian was scared of the storm right now. 

The other part of him knew the storm was probably the least of Damian's worries. 

The comms crackled to life and Dick paused. News. Please he needed news. 

"We've got someone else helping us now," Duke announced, "I'm putting her on our comms now."

"Heeeeeey," Harley Quinn's voice came through the comms. She had been cool with them since Batman convinced her to leave the Joker, “Auntie Harley has come to help. I’ve also got Red and the pussycat on the trail too.”

Dick bit back a sigh of frustration. Jason didn't as his sigh came over the line. Dick looked over to see Tim hugging himself. No doubt he had been desperate for news too. 

"I'm glad you have someone with you Signal," Bruce said, breaking the silence, "You have a lot of ground to cover. Oracle, has that analysis come back yet?"

"Just give it a few more seconds," Barbara replied. There was a beat of silence before she spoke again. She began describing the chemical composition of the contents of the dart. 

"Are you sure?" Bruce asked when she had finished. 

"Positive Batman," Barbara answered. 

"That's what the League of Assassins uses," Bruce announced, "Talia has him. Barbara, call the doctor. Robin will need medical attention when we find him."

"I am going to rip her fucking head off!" Jason yelled into the comms. 

"Try to stay calm Hood," Tim reminded, "Charging at Talia like an angry bull is a good way to get killed."

Jason sounded like he was going to argue, but Bruce cut him off. "Get back to your patrols. We don't have time to waste." 

Dick sighed and started running again, with Tim right behind him.


	4. We Found a Bird with Broken Wings

When Mother removed the cloth from his face, Damian gasped for breath. His face was drenched, and he thought he might have fallen unconscious a couple of times. 

Why had she stopped? She was looking at him with pure disgust on her face. Why? He followed her gaze down to his lap, only to realize it was wet and he was sitting in a puddle. At first, his dizzy mind thought she had spilt water on him while torturing him. 

Then he realized. He had wet himself. He had gotten so scared he had wet himself. He had shown weakness, which was exactly what Mother was punishing him for. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't his fault. That's what Grayson would have said. Grayson would say it wasn't his fault. But Mother wasn't Grayson, and Mother didn't care. Still, he choked out the words:

"I didn't mean to." 

They were the first words he had spoken since she had begun her punishment. He instantly regretted it as she brought her hand down across his face. 

"You didn't mean to?" She replied, venom drilling from every syllable. "You are weak. You are weak, and a failure, and a disappointment."

His head throbbed. Did he have a concussion or was this just a result of all the pain he was feeling? How much was he bleeding? It was hard to tell. 

Only when she hit him again did he realize that she had been waiting for an answer. 

"I'll do better," he said, his voice hoarse from screaming. She didn't seem phased by his declaration. Isn't that what she wanted to hear? 

"You have been given too many chances Damian." 

He closed his eyes when he heard that. This was it. His mother was going to kill him. He waited. He waited for the feeling of a blade pressed to his throat or heart. He waited for the feeling of a needle pressing into his skin. 

It didn't come. He waited for what felt like an eternity. When he finally gathered the courage to open his eyes, his mother was gone. 

"Mother?" He called. Maybe she was just behind the chair. Maybe that was it. "Mother?"

This didn't make sense. He had sat through her punishment. He hadn't begged. He hadn't made sound unless he absolutely could not stop himself. Did this mean she didn't love him?

"Mother?"

Only the screaming of the wind answered him. 

Damian's head drooped against his chest, silent tears falling from his eyes. 

Hopefully his family would find him soon. He wanted to go home. 

****

Tim was rushing after Dick when he paused. In an old abandoned building, there was a light. He didn't think to tell Nightwing as he grappled over to it. He grabbed the bottom of the garage door and pulled, lifting it up. 

The site in front of him made him want to vomit. There was Damian. Burned and bloody. After he froze for a moment, he yelled into the comms. 

"I found him!" He cried before rushing forward. "I found him. I found him." Tim used a batarang to cut the rope off Damian's wrists. “Oh my god," Tim sobbed. 

Nightwing was next to him in a second, taking Damian's pulse. 

Bruce uttered the question no one else dare ask: "Is he alive?"

"Yes," Nightwing replied breathlessly, "But he needs medical attention."

"I'm sending the batmobile to you now Nightwing," Barbara replied. 

Nightwing carefully wrapped his arms around Damian's waist. He couldn't touch his back, so he carefully hauled the boy up onto his shoulder. 

"Is he okay?" Jason inquired. 

"I don't know," Tim replied through tears, "His back is all bloody and there's blood on his face." He took a minute to sob. "And there's these burns on him! And-"

"Red Robin you need to remain calm," Bruce said. 

"Remain calm? Remain calm?! He's just a little boy! He's a little boy and he's my little brother and I-"

"And that is exactly why you need to remain calm. Robin needs both of you to be vigilant if you're going to get him home safe."

Tim took a deep breath. Bruce was right. He had to calm down, but how could he be calm when he couldn't even breathe? Where was Talia? Was this a trap? An ambush? He heard crying. Where was it coming from?

"Red," Nightwing said, interrupting his panic. "The batmobile is here."

Sure enough, the car was outside the building. Nightwing lead the way toward it. 

"Get in the back. I need you to hold him on his stomach."

Tim silently did as he was told. Damian was laid across his lap, and feeling him breathe actually did calm Tim down a bit. He gently pushed his fingers through Damian's hair as Nightwing got in the driver's seat. 

"We're gonna go fast okay Red?"

Tim nodded. There was still crying in his ears, and he was finally calm enough to realize that it was coming over the comm link. It sounded like there were a few people crying actually, and Tim couldn't make out who. He looked back down at his younger brother, paling at how roughed up his back was. "You're gonna be okay," he whispered, "You're gonna be okay."


	5. She Keeps Making Trouble

The others were leaping roof tops to get home. 

Burnley was closest to the manor, so Duke and Harley made it back first. Leslie Thompkins was already there. 

"What are his wounds?" She asked Duke. Duke tried to remember what Tim had said through his sobs. 

"Um he had. He had burns. And I know his back is bleeding. Red Robin said there was blood on his face too," Duke recounted. He hadn't realized how heavy he was breathing or that he was crying a little bit. 

Harley was already pulling down medical supplies for Dr. Thompkins. 

"How long has he been missing?" Harley asked. 

"Well." How long had he been missing? "Damian gets off school at 2:30. So he was at the manor around three. Dick got here about 4:30. What time is it?"

Leslie looked at her watch. "7:25. So he's been missing almost four and a half hours if we assume he was taken immediately when he got home." 

"I'll set up an IV of fluids then," Harley replied. 

"Where's Alfred?" 

"He woke up shortly after you all left," Barbara replied from where she was by the batcomputer. She turned around and looked at how tense Duke was. She knew that all the bats hated sitting around doing nothing. She was quite familiar with it. "Why don't you go get Damian some pajamas?"

Duke nodded. He headed upstairs to the kid's room. He grabbed a set of black, silk pajamas. Should he bring the kid a stuffed toy? Duke deliberated for a second before deciding that with whatever personal Hell Damian had sustained tonight, he would probably appreciate the comforting objects. 

Duke returned downstairs just in time to watch the batmobile screech to halt inside the cave. 

Dick rushed from the driver's seat and helped Tim get Damian out of the backseat. He was rushed over to one of the pristine white tables. Harley was waiting there and quickly attached a heart-rate monitor to him. The beeping seemed to echo in the cave. Alfred rushed from behind Duke. As Leslie started using a pair of scissors to cut the rest of Damian's clothes off, making sure he didn't have any injuries she didn't see, Alfred drew the privacy curtain. 

The cave became silent except for the constant sound of the heart monitor.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

***

Jason and Cassandra entered the cave next. Tim was curled up on the ground, crying silently. Dick had an arm around him. Barbara was to his left, working the batcomputer. Duke was nervously pacing by the others. 

"How is he?" Jason said, removing his helmet as he did. 

"We don't know," Dick replied. 

Jason growled and threw his helmet hard at nothing in particular. It hit the cave floor and with a loud clang and then bounced a bit. 

Cassandra sighed and sat down between Barbara and Tim. She laid her head on Tim's shoulder, quietly crying with him. 

The air hung tense for a moment before Barbara spoke. "Wait, weren't you and Cass in Old Gotham?" 

"Yeah. What of it?" Jason spat back. Barbara didn't even flinch. 

"Bruce and Steph were in Somerset. They should have made it back before you," Barbara replied. She turned back to the computer and pressed a button. "This is Oracle to Batman and Batgirl. What's your status?"

No reply. 

The button clicked again. 

"Oracle to Batman. Oracle to Batman. What's your status?"

Barbara types something out on the computer. "They're in the northwest area of Somerset, by the Dixon Docks," she announced, looking at the team, "Go get them." 

Everyone stood. Tim pulled his mask down on his face and Cassandra kicked Jason's helmet up in the air and over to him. He caught it and slipped it on. 

"Jason and I will take motorcycles, you guys take the batmoblie," Dick said as he headed over to his Nightwing-themed motorbike.

Tim got in the driver's seat of the batmobile, with Cassandra in the passenger seat and Duke in the back. 

The engine revved as they peeled out of the cave. 

***

Bruce tried to take the brunt of Talia's attacks. Stephanie had never fought her before, and Talia wasn't an easy person to beat. He didn't want the girl to get hurt. 

Still, as he took Talia's focus, Stephanie charged her from behind. Talia delivered a kick to the ribs of the blonde, extracting a sickening crack and sending her backwards. She hit the roof below and bounced twice before rolling dangerously close to the edge. Bruce took the opening to deliver a blow to her shoulder. She was only phased for a fraction of a second before continuing her onslaught. 

"Why would you hurt your own son?" Bruce asked as he tried to hit her with a batarang. 

She dodged seamlessly. "He is no longer my son. You made him weak. You ruined him." She pulled out a dagger and charged him. He pulled out another batarang just in time to catch her blade with it. 

"He isn't ruined," Bruce growled as they pushed against each other. "He's just a little boy."

Talia jumped backward, holding her dagger out as she put distance between them. About a foot behind her, Stephanie was struggling to stand. Talia had definitely broken at least one of her ribs. 

"Don't sound so upset my Beloved," Talia said with a crooked grin, "we can always make more." With that, she put her foot against Steph's already-busted ribs and pushed her off the roof. Batgirl scrambled for her grappling hook, but she'd never make it in time. A scream escaped her as she was sure she was going to hit the pavement. 

A pair of strong arms embraced her. They were smaller than Bruce's though. 

"You have got to stop falling off buildings," Duke said as he pulled her to his chest. 

She scoffed. "You're telling me. Easy on the ribs Signal."

"Signal to Oracle," Duke said, "I have saved Batgirl's ass. Repeat, I have saved Batgirl's ass."

"What's your status Batgirl?" 

Stephanie leaned into Duke's ear so she could talk into his comm. "My status is ow. Also Bats is fighting Talia."

"The others are already assisting him," Oracle confirmed, "Get Batgirl to safety if she can no longer fight." 

"Got it."

On the rooftop, Talia was slowing down. Cassandra and Dick's fighting styles were much more a match for her own than Stephanie's was. 

Cassandra landed a hit to Talia's knee as Dick landed one to her shoulder. 

She couldn't keep up anymore. The butt of Jason's pistol struck her in the head. She crumpled. 

"Alright," Jason said, "What do we do with her?"

"No doubt reinforcements will be here soon to pick her up," Bruce replied, "we can't put her in Arkham. Leave her here and we'll return to the cave.


	6. Wake Up Soon Baby Bird

As they pulled into the cave, their hearts sank to see the privacy curtain pulled around Damian's bed still. Bruce carried Stephanie from the batmobile and laid her on a bed. 

"Why does it seem like its always you, Miss Stephanie?" Alfred asked as he walked out of Damian's privacy curtain toward her, putting on fresh latex gloves in the process. 

"Bad luck," she replied as he began cutting off her top, "Do you have to cut my bra off? This one is my favorite."

"I'm afraid I do Miss Stephanie. I'm sure Master Bruce can buy you a replacement," he replied. Without looking away he continued, "Master Jason, Master Richard. There are some leftovers in the fridge. If you could kindly heat them up and bring them down it would be appreciated. None of you have had dinner. Master Tim, could you pull the privacy curtain closer for Miss Stephanie?"

There was a chorus of "yes Alfred" as the boys got up. 

***

There was mostly silence in the cave as Jason passed out hot food from the tray Dick was holding. Jason offered Cassandra pasta and she pointed to a bowl of soup on the tray instead. Jason passed that to her. Duke took the pasta he had originally offered her. 

"Pasta or soup, B?" Jason asked Bruce. The man just responded by holding out his hand. Jason rolled his eyes and set a bowl of soup in it. 

Jason and Dick sat down against a wall with their own bowls. The cave was filled with the dinging of silverware and the sound of Jason slurping his soup from the bowl. 

They didn't eat in the cave often. When they did it always felt sad. It meant that someone was hurt and they were waiting for them to wake up. Tonight was no exception. 

Empty dishes were returned to the tray to be taken up later. 

Tim started to dose off, his head rested on Dick's shoulder. 

After Alfred finished with Stephanie, he came over to take the tray of dirty dishes. 

Finally, the privacy curtain to Damian's bed was opened, and all the bats shot up. 

"How is he?" Bruce asked. 

"He's alright all things considered," Thompkins replied, "he has whip marks on his back, but the whip didn't break skin every time. The hard part was removing the water from his lungs." 

"His mouth was bleeding," Tim replied, "Does he-"

"No internal bleeding," she replied, "Talia just knocked one of his baby teeth out. I pulled out another that she had cracked all the way through."

"See him?" Cassandra asked. 

"Yes you can all see him, but he won't wake up for a while." 

They hurried passed her. Damian was laid on his side, dressed in the black pajamas Duke had picked out. His bat and his elephant were tucked to his chest. The sheets under him had been exchanged for clean ones after they had finished with him. 

His left eye was still blackened and swollen and his lip was still busted but other than that, he looked peaceful. Dick reached out and gently pushed some of his raven hair away from his face. 

"Hey Babybat," Dick said softly, combing his hand through Damian's hair, "You're home now. Wake up soon okay? You wake up soon, and Baba and I will take you to the zoo okay?"

Bruce rubbed Dick's back as he watched his first son's shoulders shake. "And the aquarium," Bruce added. Dick gave him a weak smile in response. 

Cassandra took one of Damian's hands with both of her's. She looked him up and down. "Baby," she said quietly, patting his hand, "Just a baby."

"Yeah," Tim replied with a dark chuckle, "sometimes you forget just how small he is." 

Duke wrapped an arm around Tim. "Good job finding him Tim. You did good."

"Thanks." 

Barbara took Duke's free hand and he gave it a little squeeze in return.

"I shall bring you all some chairs," Alfred announced before bowing and taking his leave. 

For a moment the room was quiet until Jason piped up. His Spanish lullaby wafted gently through the air on the cave, falling on all their shoulders.


End file.
